Rotary engine.



No. 639,504. Patented Dec. I9, I899.

E. BENNETT.

ROTARY ENGINE.

(Application filed Mar. 13, 1899.) (NOHOdBL) 6 Sheets-*Shaot l.

No. 639,504. Patented Dec. f9, I899. E. BENNETT.

ROTARY ENGINE.

(Application filed Mar. 13, 1899.)

(N0 M BL) 6 Sheets-Sheet 2.

lnvent 7 ElwooBennflZ No. 639,504. Patented Dec. l9. I899. E. BENNETT.

ROTARY ENGINE.

(Apialication filed Mar. 13, 1899.)

(No Model.) 6 Sheets-:Shee't 3.

No. 639,504. Patented Dec. l9, I899.

E. BENNETT.

ROTARY ENGINE.

(Application filed Mar. 13, 1899.) (No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 4.

Iniwenfr, Ila/00055620021 mm WZM,

w: Norms PETERS co. r-no oumo. WASHINGYON, a. c.

Nu. 639,504. Patented Dec. l9, I899.

E. BENNETT.

ROTARY ENGINE.

(Application filed Mar. 13, 1899.) (No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 5.

Nd. 639,504. Patented Dec. i9, i899. E. BENNETT.

ROTARY ENGINE.

(Application filed Mar. 13, 1899.)

(No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 6v WITll"Illilmflllllifiiiiiiiiii "lull.

lilll I IIIIIIIII IIII i: l n I i l flllllillllllllllm llllllfllllllll I I iii" UNIT D STATES FATENT CFFICE.

ELlVOOD BENNETT, OF KOKOMO, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO SAMUEL PANABAKER, OF SAME PLACE.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 639,504, dated December 19, 1899.

Application filed March 13,1899. berial No- 7os,9o4.. on) model.)

To all whom it ntcty concern:

Be it known that I, ELwooD BENNETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kokomo, in the county of Howard and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in RotaryEngines,of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to produce a thoroughly practical engine which may be 0perated with any fluid as a propelling agent, but which is specially adapted for the use of steam, to produce a rotary engine which will be equally balanced and packed at the joints in a manner to prevent leakage through the joints without creating friction such as will make the operation of the engine impractical, and to provide means whereby the exact centering of the revoluble parts or their position out of center will be indicated on an external portion of the machine.

Afurther object of the invention is the production of a rotary engine of few parts and which is simple, strong, compact, and durable in its construction.

I accomplish the objects of the invention by the mechanism illustrated in the accompany ing drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of my invention; Fig. 2, a vertical section on a plane through the center of the driving-shaft of the engine; Fig. 3, a vertical section on the dotted line 3 3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a horizontal sec: tion on the dotted line 4 at of Fig. 1; Fig. 5, an inner side view of the cylinder-head of the engine with the valve-plate removed; Fig. 6, a like view of the same with the valve-plate in operative position; Fig. 6, a section of the valve-plate on the dotted line 6 6 of Fig. 6; Fig. 7, a perspective view of the cylindrical piston-carrier removed from the piston; Fig. 8, an end view of the same device shown in Fig. 7; Fig. 9, a perspective viewof one of the sliding pistons showing, one of the detachable parts pulled away from its mate and partially sectioned to show the construction better; Fig. 10, a plan view of the outer edge of the sliding piston; Fig. 11, a section on the dot ted line 11 ll of Fig. 10; and Fig. 12a detail of the inner wall of the cylinder, showing the "diagonally-bridged outlet for the steam.

,versely-divided parts, the two adjacent ends of which terminate with the circular disks B, which may be either integral with the shaft or fastened to it in any secure manner as, for example,- by expanding the disk by heat and shrinking itto the unheated shaft by cooling it after its application to the latter.

Between the two disks B is the cylindrical casting B to which the two disks are securely bolted by means of the screw-bolts b. The casting B has a diametrical slot to provide a way for the pistons diametrically through the body. The cylindrical sides of the casting B are turned up to make a close running fit in the middle bore of the cylinder A. Mounted in the diametrical slot of the body B are the two pistons O O, which are flat-sided plates that slide in and out in said groove to make a steam-tight joint simultaneously on the two opposite sides of the slotted cylindrical body with the eccentric bores of the cylinder.

To make a steam-tight joint between the walls of the middle bore of the cylinder and the cylindrical sides of the body 13*, packingstrips 125, pressed inwardly by the. strips 1), which can be set up by the set-screws b", are used, and to keep the packing-strip, which is narrower than the thickness of the piston C, from being forced by the springs into the slot in which the piston is seated, which would be possible, inasmuch as the pistons are drawn into the body B at the time of passing the packing-strip, the packing-strip will beset obliquely to the straight lines of the body B and its piston-slot, as shown by the dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2. v

Steam is admitted back of the pistons O U twice in each circuit or revolution of said pistons in the cylinder, once while each piston too is in the upper eccentric bore and once while it is in the lower eccentric bore, and the two pistons are forced out by the radial pressure of steam introduced between the two pistons.

The arrangement of the steam-ports and the method of packing to secure a steam-tight joint around the moving parts areimportant features of this invention.

D are the cylinder-heads, which are alike for both ends of the cylinder. The steam is admitted simultaneously and in the same.

' D and leading from the steam-chest E and emptying into an annular groove or channel D, formed on the inside face of the head close to the bore for the driving-shaft B, is the steam-port D (See Figs. 2, 5, and 6.) This groove is at the bottom of a central circular indentation of the head and is somewhat smaller in diameter than the indented portion'to provide a shoulder outside of it for a hearing or seat for a removable valve-plate F, which is fastened by screw-bolts fover the groove to form acover therefor. The groove is divided by the walls d into two non-communicating chambers, one of which is for the steam that gives the rotary movement to the engine and the other, which isthe smaller and lower one, is to receive the steam to push the pistons out. The groove D has bosses d with threaded openings to receive the bolts f, by which the plate F is fastened over the groove. This plate F has two diametrically opposite openings or valves F, each of which is provided with a bushing or ring F which is forced by the steam-press ure behind it against the side of the piston-head disk B to make a tight joint, which will prevent the lateral escape of steam, and around it in a suitable groove is a double split metallic packingring Fiwhich prevents the escape of the steam, except through the middle opening.

Back of each of the sliding pistons O 0, formed in the body B are a pair of separate and deep grooves 19 which communicate at their bottoms with the annular grooves 19 in the adjacent sides of the disk B, and the rotation of the disk B brings the grooves b at regular intervals over the valves F. As long as the grooves are over a valve the steam is free toissue into the groove 1) and thence through the groove 1) into the cylinder back of the sliding piston. As shown in Figs. 7 and densation of the steam in the cylinder is carried off through the drain-pipes P, having the relief-valves p, by which they are opened and closed.

The steam is exhausted from the cylinder through the ports G into the chamber G under the cylinder (see Fig. 3) and is carried off from there through the pipe G In order to lessen the wear on the piston, which would be excessive if the openings for the exhaust were straight openings, I prefer to bridge them diagonally in the manner as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 and in full lines in Fig. 12, in which the bridges are shown at g.

The steam-pressure from the boiler to the engine is regulated bymeans of the governor H Fig. 1,0f usual construction and operation.

The disks B are sufficiently less in diameter than the body B to form a shoulder, into the seat formed by which the packing-ring H isplaced, and the cylinder-head has an annular depression to receive the packing-ring. It extends beyond the eccentric bores of the cylinder, and by pressure of steam against the outer side of it it is forced over to prevent leakage of steam into or from the cylinder at those points.

Figs. 2 and 4 show the preferred packing around the shaft B and between it and piston heads. It consists of the threaded ring Z, which is screwed onto the threaded section of the shaft. The threads make a steanrtight joint on the inside of the ring, and to prevent the escape around the outside of the ring I use the inner split collar 2' and the two split collarso' outside of it, (see Fig. 5,) which pack the joint.

The successful operation of my engine depends very largely upon the maintenance of the shaft B and piston-carrier attached thereto in position concentric with the middle bore of the cylinder, and this depends on the natu re of the bearings to support the outer ends of the shaft and upon the means for indicating when the shaft is out of center and for readily correcting any such displacement. J are brackets which are projected laterally from the cylinder-heads. They have openings through which the shaft B is projected, with four equidistant set-screws j arranged in diametrically opposite pairs. The shaft-openings through the brackets J are large enough to receive the cylindrical boxes J and allow considerable play around them on all sides, whereby by changing the set-screwsj, which contact with theboxes to hold them in a fixed position, the position of the boxes can be shifted in any desired direction and any dis-- placement corrected. A lining of antifriction metal between the box and shaft is shown atj The outer or hubbed ends of the brackets J around the shaft are turned up concentrically with the center of the middle bore of the cylinder, and a disk K of exactly the same diameter is fastened to the shaft in close contact with the turned-up hub. When the shaft B is running true with the center of the cylinder, the face of the disk K will be even with the face of the hub on the bracket J at all points and any displacement of the shaft will be indicated by a break in the alinement of the two surfaces.

As described thus far the construction of the two cylinder-heads is the same; but as it 'is only necessary to have one inlet for the from the boiler required to run the engine.

This pipe L connects with the port Z (see dotted lines in Fig. 3 and full lines of Fig. 4,)

which port empties into the lower compartment of the channel D from whence it issues through the port F in the valve-plate F into the annular groove f formed in the bore of the ring around the shaft. Leading from this groove f and passing through the shaft B and thence into the chamber between the two sliding disks is the port B A constant pressure is thus obtained against the pistons to press them out into contact with the bores of the cylinder. A drain-pipe W, having an automatic relief-valve w of common form, is provided to carry off any water that may condense from steam between the ends of the sliding pistons G C.

M, Figs. 2, 4, 7, and 8, is a packing-ring which is seated in an annular groove around the shaft in the outer sides of the disks B to keep the steam from passing either way between the disks B and the valve-plate F. The ring ispressed out against the plate F by the springs 'm, and it is provided with an outside groove, in which the split packing-ring m is seated. This packing-ring could obviously be seated in the plate F instead of be ing in the disk B if desired.

The pistons O are in two transversely-divided parts to permit of endwise extension to make a tight joint against the packing-rings between which they run. Both of the adjacent edges are provided with the grooves C to receive the. tongue 0 and midway of their widths are the notches C to receive the expanded portion 0 of the tongue. The purpose of the tongue C is to close the joint be tween the two parts of the piston against the leakage of the steam therethrough from one side of the piston to the other, and the purpose of the enlargement (3 is to prevent the passage up through the joint or its grooves of the steam below the piston. Grooves 0 as shown, permit of the introduction of the steam from below between the two parts of the piston to press the parts over against the packing-rings at their ends. Chambers C opening toward the center of the shaft, are formed in each of the two sections of the piston, and these chambers communicate through the holes 0 with the grooves O in the ends of the pistons. The object of this is to admit enough steam to the groove to partly resist the pressure from the middle of the piston in order to prevent undue friction of the parts.

Having thus fully described myinvention, what I claim as new, and wish to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is--- 1. Astationary cylinder having two or more communicating bores eccentric to each other, a revoluble shaft oarryinga cylindrical body having one or more radial ways, a piston or pistons sliding in said way or ways, means for forcing the piston or pistons out into constant contact with the insidewalls of the cylinder, a steam-chest supplied with steam from a generator, cylinder-heads, chambers in the cylinder-heads, ports leading from the steamchest to the chambers, ports leading from the ends of the cylindrical piston-carrying body, said ports discharging back of the piston or pistons through the cylindrical sides of said body, valve-openings leading from the chambers in the cylinder-heads and discharging against the piston-carrying body in the paths of the ports in the latter, and ports for the discharge of the exhaust-steam from the cylinder, substantially as described and specified. l

2. In a rotary engine, a cylinder havinga circular central bore and a crescent-shaped enlargement above and below the central bore, a cylindrical piston-holding body revolubly mounted in the central bore and making a close [it therewith said body having a diametrical slot therethrough, a pair of sliding pistons mounted in the opposite ends of said slot and means for pressing the pistons out into constant contact with the inside walls of the cylinder, said pistomcarrying body hav* ing a pair of ports opposite each piston, extending from the fiat ends of the body to and through the cylindrical walls thereof, a covered groove or chamber in the cylinder-heads adjacent to the ends of the piston-carrying body, apair of diametrically opposite valveopenings located in the paths of the port-holes in the sides of the piston-carrying body and affording communication atintervals during each revolution between the chamberin the cylinder-head and the said ports, a steamchest connected with a steam-supply and ports leading from the steam-chest to the groove or chamber in the cylinder-heads and exhaust-openings for the escape of the dead steam from the cylinder, all substantially as described and specified.

3. The combination, with a cylinder-head of a rotary engine having a groove 01' channel around the shaft-opening in said head and ports connecting the channel with the steamchest of the engine, of a plate removably secured over the channel to form a cover therefor, said plate having diametrically opposite openings,substantially as described and specified.

4. A cylinder-head for rotary engines having a chamber connected by ports with the steam-chest of the engine and a cover for said chamber having openings therein for the discharge of steam from the chamber, said openings having packingrings to contact with the adjacent revolving piston-carrying body and prevent lateral leakage around the openings, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a rotary engine, a cylinder having a circular central bore and crescent-shaped enlargements above and below said central bore, a cylindrical body for holding pistons, revolubly mounted in the central bore and making a close fit therein, said body having reduced ends, a plate Wide enough in diameter to seat against the ends of said body at the reduced portions and extending beyond the crescentshaped extensions far enough to overlap the ends of the cylinder, said plates being circular in form and held against the ends of the cylinder and shoulders of the body by steam thereby forming a tight closure for the crescent-shaped extensions of the cylinder when the engine is at work and forming a closure capable of yielding to uneven expansion when all parts of the engine are not heated to a uniform temperature as when the engine is being started cold, substantially as specified.

6. In a rotary engine, a cylinder having a central circular bore and crescent-shaped enlargements diametrically opposite the central bore, a piston-holding body revolubly mounted in the central bore, said body having a longitudinal slot passing diametrically through it, a pair of sliding pistons in opposite ends of said slot cylinder-heads having an annular groove divided by a partition into two chambers one of which is connected with the steamchest of the engine a steam-chest, means for supplying steam to said chest, and a governor for regulating the pressure of the steam,

means for supplying steam to the other or openings leading into the first-mentioned chambers, said openings being supplied with packingrings as described, ports starting from the ends of the piston-carrying body and registering at each revolution of the body with the openings to the chambers, said ports in the piston-carrying body terminating back of the sliding pistons substantially as shown, and exhaust-openings from the cylinder for the escape of the spent steam.

7. In a rotary engine having a revoluble body, carrying a pair of sliding pistons, a steam-supply for driving the pistons in direction to. rotate the body and a separate means for' supplying steam for forcing the pistons apart, the said body having ports near its outer face for the passage of the steam back of the pistons and other ports through the hub of the body for introduction of steam between the pistons, and a packing-ring seated in a groove of the body between the two sets of ports to prevent the leakage of steamfrom one set of ports to the other substantially as shown and described.

8. In a rotary engine, the within-described packing between the revoluble shaft and the cylinder-head of the engine, comprising a cylinder-head with an opening for the shaft considerabl y larger than the shaft, a shaft having a screw-threaded portion lying in said opening, a nut with a screw-threaded opening said nut screwing onto the shaft and there-. by being drawn into the opening in the cylinder-head and split-metal packing-rings in the opening against the inside of the nut to pack the joint between the nut and the cylinder-head the inner one of said rings not index to determine when the shaft is in central alinem'ent with the cylinder said means consisting of a hub on the outer end of the frame or bracket which supports the boxes and collars bolted to the shaft outside of theboxes, said collar and hub being turned to equal radii, substantially as shown and specified.

10. A flat-sided piston divided transversely into two parts the adjacent ends of said parts being notched and grooved, a key fitting into the notches and grooves to make a tightjointed connection between the two parts of the piston and ports between the ends and the key for the introduction of steam to expand the piston, substantially as described and shown.

11. Apiston having recessedendsand steam connection with said recesses, said piston being divided transversely into two parts, ports In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my for the introduction of steam between the hand and seal at Indianapolis, Indiana, this parts to expand the piston in the direction of 20th day of February, A. D. 1899. ELWOOD BENNETT. Witnesses:

N. J. SCOTT, JOSEPH A. MINTURN.

its length and means for making a steamtight connection between the divided parts of the piston, substantially as described and shown. 

